Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has accused Nigerian immigration officials of seizing her passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, preventing her from travelling abroad.
The lawmaker made the revelation in a live Facebook broadcast on Tuesday morning, during which she was seen confronting immigration officers who allegedly withheld her travel document.
“Having completed the celebration of my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. So I’m at the airport here and my passport is being withheld again. The same thing happened last time when my passport was seized,” she said in the video.
According to her, there was no legal or official reason for the action taken by the officers.
“I have committed no offence. And there is no order from the court to withhold my passport and deny me travelling. The last time this thing happened, the Officer-in-Charge told us that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he said each time I travel out of the country, I smear the country’s image by granting interviews in international media,” she stated.
The senator expressed frustration over what she described as repeated harassment at the airport. “Please, can you tell them to release my passport and this embarrassment should stop. You have no right to withhold my passport. You have no right to deny me exit and entry into my country. I have not committed any offence. And this must stop,” she said.
According to the senator, the last time her passport was withheld, she had to call an influential Nigerian for it to be released.
“Godswill Akpabio has instructed the Controller General of Customs to withhold my passport. This is wrong,” she declared.
She further disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had already instructed the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to withdraw all cases against her, as it had been confirmed they were politically motivated.
In the video, a male immigration officer was later seen handing the senator’s passport back to her, a development she confirmed.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, was suspended on March 6, 2025 following a heated confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the reallocation of her seat during plenary. She was subsequently recalled and resumed her legislative duties on September 24, 2025.
